Dave takes a nice Doe...

My buddy Dave with a hard earned Doe from the Southern Tier of New York State. Nicely done Dave.

Remembering a friend...

On December 20, 2007 the carping world lost a true champion. I was fortunate to have met Al about 4 years ago through our shared passion of carp angling. Al taught me alot about my local waters and techniques to catch carp. He was always willing to share his vast knowlege with anyone who asked.

Al will be missed by many. Rest in peace.

Here is the Obituary from the local newspaper:

Alan A. Kowaleski Alan A. Kowaleski, 59, Birdsboro, died Dec. 20, 2007, in his residence.Born in Reading, he was a son of the late Adam and Sophie (Drobeck) Kowaleski.He was employed as a registered nurse by Jennersville Regional Center, Medical College of Philadelphia, and Community General Hospital, Reading, for 30 years.He was a graduate of Reading High School, Reading Area Community College and Albright College.He served with the Marine Corps as a staff sergeant during the Vietnam War, where he earned a Purple Heart and served with the presidential honor guard for Lyndon Johnson.He was also honorary grand marshal for Carp Anglers Group for the dedication of teaching children the sport of angling.He is survived by three daughters: Rachel F. Kowaleski, Exeter Township; Alicia S. (Kowaleski) Epting, Brecknock Township; and Sonya M. (Kowaleski) Gorostieta, West Lawn.Other survivors include a sister, Kerin “Kaka” (Kowaleski) DeBeck, Mohnton.There are also six grandchildren, a niece and a great-niece.Services will be Saturday at 10 a.m. in Henninger Funeral Home Inc. Friends may call one hour prior to service. Burial will be in St. John’s Cemetery, Gibraltar, Robeson Township.

December on the Conestoga...

Plans were made with my friends Ray and Jed to meet at what has become one of our favorite swims of late. The banks of the Conestoga looked much different without it's dense canopy of leaves that sheltered us from the sun this summer. Instead, we found ourselves seeking the warming rays of the sun as we stood in the cold winter air.

Ray had graciously pre-baited the area with his home made mix of boilies that even made me hungry when he told me the ingredients.

After some bankside chatting and reminising of past rips, lines were cast and our hopes were high. We did spot what appeared to be a few fish surface, but none of them were very eager to take our offerings. About 3 hours passed, when my left hand rod tip began to move somewhat suspiciously. Could it be a carp carefully tasting the "sweetcorn and scopex" boilie that was fresh from Ray's bait making lab? After a couple minutes of "knocks" on this rod, the action stopped. I reluctantly decided to pull my toasty hands from my jacket pocket and pull the rod in to check the bait. As I suspected, a crafty fish was able to take the boilie without being hooked.

A new boilie was placed on the hair and more oatmeal method was packed on the two ounce weight before it was sent back out into the icy waters of the Conestoga.

Things were quiet for a while and i sipped on some hot coffee to help warm up a bit. Then it happened...a "proper pull down" to coin a phrase from the Ole Captain. My right hand rod sprung to life with the bite alarm playing the beautiful sound...beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!

I some how moved my frozen feet and made my way to the rod. I pick it up and lean back to set the hook into...nothing! Well, I was disappointed to say the least, but glad that I didn't have to get my hands wet. As it turned out, this would be the only action of the day.

Plans for the upcoming "First Fishing Folley" on January 1, 2008 were made which could include fishing three different waters. Hopefully the weather will be nice for the event. Although we must be "blithering idiots" to think that carp will bite in water less than 50 degrees! Till next time...tight lines.

Thanksgiving chrome...

My wife, Sage and I just returned from a great Thanksgiving visit with our families in Western NY. Before gorging myself with turkey and pumpkin pie, I spent a couple of days fishing one of my favorite Lake Ontario tributaries. The weather was unseasonably warm for this time of year, with afternoon highs close to 50 degrees. Tuesday was overcast with a bit of drissle...perfect fishing conditions! I arrived in time for the sunrise and took my time slipping on my waders so that I could finish my hot cup of Starbuck's finest. After strapping on about 20 pounds of gear I was off to the water. The creek was woefully low due to an extensive drought that this area of the country experienced this summer. I was pleased to see a few fish holding in some of the deeper pools of the creek. I noticed that there were several Chinook Salmon still spawning in the shallow areas above the pools. I figured that the trout were likely having eggs for breakfast (salmon eggs that is), so I tied on a trusty glow bug. About ten minutes in, my fly line pauses while drifting through the pool. I set the hook, and I am in to my first steelie of the year. The fish ran quickly towards some rocks at the head of the pool. Luckily I was able keep the rod tip high enough to avoid the rocks. After a few minutes of great runs and leaps a nice 5 pound chunk of Lake Ontario chrome was landed. Throughout the next few hours I was able to hook about 4 more fish which included two nice Brown Trout.

Day two started out in much the same way as the first...one can't begin fishing without the eye opening pleasure of a hot cup of java. This day found the weather a bit more rainy with a cold front pushing through which would lead to a couple of inches of snow the next day. The first fish of the day did not take long...about 10 seconds into my first drift! It wasn't a large steelhead, but very feisty. Two other fish came in short succession. My hopes were high...three fish in less than 30 minutes! I had another steelhead that was much larger take a blazing run that ended quickly as my six pound tippet was sliced by razor sharp zebra mussels that coat many of the rocks in this creek. I had one mre small brown fall victim to an egg sucking leeech pattern before the cold front brought wind and driving rains that sent me to my car.

This was a wonderful trip full of great memories of family, friends and some great fall fishing.

Sage

Sage is our one year old Golden Retriever. He is a wonderful addition to our family. Hopefully as Sage matures he will be able to join me on some of my fishing adventures...if I can only keep him out of the water.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog. I plan on using this blog site to chronicle my fishing excursions and other relavant events in my life. I curently reside in Southeast Pennsylvania with my wife Trisha and our dog Sage. I am an avid carp angler, but enjoy the opportunity to fish for other species as well.
Please feel free to leave comments on any of the posts.